1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus, a substrate inspection method and a substrate processing system successively transporting a semiconductor substrate, a glass substrate for a liquid crystal display, a glass substrate for a photomask or a substrate for an optical disk (hereinafter simply referred to as xe2x80x9csubstratexe2x80x9d) between a plurality of processing parts along a prescribed procedure thereby performing processing such as resist coating processing and development processing while inspecting the substrate.
2. Description of the Background Art
As well known in the art, a product such as a semiconductor device or a liquid crystal display is manufactured by performing a series of processing such as cleaning, resist coating, exposure, development, etching, formation of an interlayer isolation film, heat treatment and dicing on the aforementioned substrate. In order to maintain the quality of such a semiconductor product or the like, it is important to perform various inspections on the substrate after the process of the aforementioned processing, thereby confirming the quality.
For example, a substrate processing apparatus (the so-called coater and developer) performing resist coating processing and development processing generally performs an inspection such as pattern line width measurement on the substrate in the final step of the development processing.
In general, however, a waiting time for introduction into an inspection apparatus is necessary while a certain degree of time is required for ascertaining the result of the inspection, and hence a considerable number of substrates introduced into the apparatus subsequently to a certain substrate are completely processed before the inspection result as to this substrate is recognized. When the inspection result is unsatisfactory, therefore, the considerable number of substrates must be re-processed, to result in reduction of the throughput of the overall processing.
When inspecting the substrate in the final step of the development processing as in the aforementioned coater and developer, a considerable time is required for specifying a step causing inconvenience in the inspection result, leading to reduction of the throughput also in this case.
Due to the considerable time required for recognizing the inspection result, it is also difficult to properly change (feed forward control or feedback control) processing conditions on the basis of the inspection result.
While the problematic processing step can be reliably specified and the number of substrates requiring re-processing can be reduced when inspecting a certain substrate every time a processing step is ended, the throughput of the apparatus is extremely reduced in this case, leading to increase of the cost for the processing.
In other words, the substrate cannot be properly inspected without reducing the throughput in general.
The present invention is directed to a substrate processing apparatus successively transporting a substrate between a plurality of processing parts thereby performing prescribed processing on the said substrate.
According to the present invention, a substrate processing apparatus successively transporting a substrate between a plurality of processing parts thereby performing prescribed processing on the substrate comprises a transport robot successively transporting the substrate between the plurality of processing parts along a prescribed procedure and a plurality of inspection parts, performing substrate inspections of different contents respectively, provided in the substrate processing apparatus.
The substrate processing apparatus comprises the plurality of inspection parts performing substrate inspections of different contents respectively, whereby the substrate cap be properly inspected in the apparatus at need so that proper substrate inspections can be performed while suppressing reduction of the throughput.
According to a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the transport robot successively transports a set of plural substrates along the same procedure so that the set of plural substrates are subjected to the same processing, and the transport robot transports each of part or all of the set of plural substrates to a single inspection part selected from the plurality of inspection parts thereby transporting at least one of the set of plural substrates to each of the plurality of inspection parts.
At least one of the set of plural substrates is transferred to each of the plurality of inspection parts, whereby all of a plurality of inspections can be successively performed as to the whole of the set of plural substrates by simply adding a single step for an inspection as to each substrate, whereby properly excellent throughput and necessary and sufficient inspections can be compatibly attained as a result.
According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, a transport path is formed along the procedure, and each of the plurality of inspection parts is arranged on an intermediate position in the transport path responsive to the inspection contents thereof.
The transport path may not be changed for inspecting the substrate but reduction of the throughput can be suppressed.
According to still another embodiment of the present invention, a substrate processing apparatus successively transporting a substrate between a plurality of processing parts thereby performing prescribed processing on the substrate comprises a transport part successively transporting the substrate between the plurality of processing parts along a prescribed procedure, a plurality of inspection parts performing prescribed inspections on the substrate, a procedure setting part capable of individually incorporating substrate transportation to the plurality of inspection parts into an arbitrary order position in the procedure and a transportation control part controlling the transport part to successively transport the substrate along the procedure set by the procedure setting part.
Substrate transportation to the said plurality of inspection parts can be individually incorporated into an arbitrary order position in the procedure, whereby the degree of freedom of the inspections on the substrate can be improved.
The present invention is also directed to a substrate inspection method inspecting a substrate.
The present invention is also directed to a substrate processing system performing prescribed processing on a substrate.
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing technique capable of properly inspecting a substrate while suppressing reduction of the throughput.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a substrate processing technique capable of improving the degree of freedom of an inspection on a substrate.